pbeardmore wrote:We all know that there are areas within the UK where if that airframe was left accessable to the public, it would be stripped down and then torched before you can say "Jeremy Kyle", so I dont think that a UK based forum (or individual members) has any right to imply that it is any more unsafe in the middle of an arabian desert.

Agreed but equally there are remote places in the UK where it could have survived untouched for years just as there are populous areas in the Middle East where it would have disappeared years ago.

pbeardmore wrote:We all know that there are areas within the UK where if that airframe was left accessable to the public, it would be stripped down and then torched before you can say "Jeremy Kyle", so I dont think that a UK based forum (or individual members) has any right to imply that it is any more unsafe in the middle of an arabian desert.

Agreed but equally there are remote places in the UK where it could have survived untouched for years just as there are populous areas in the Middle East where it would have disappeared years ago.

Public spaces?

“The best computer is a man, and it’s the only one that can be mass-produced by unskilled labour.”

Do we know anything more....? Reading the article it seems that it is a great deal more than a mirage. Andy Saunders seems to reckon it might be the real thing and the RAF Museum is interested so perhaps the earlier topic was prematurely dismissive.

As much as it would be good to see it over here in any condition, Those that found it probably have no clue on how rare it is, and just excited that they found a wrecked plane from a war. What ever happens to it, happens. I'd imagine if a collector or someone who could do something good with it would be trying there hardest to get it.

A relation of the pilot has come forward and just posted this on the Daily Mail's website:

Flt sgt Dennis Copping was my great, great uncle, and a much loved youngest brother to my grandmother edna, and auntie lily. We are astounded that his resting place has been found 70yrs later, and hopefully the possible discovery of his remains, god bless, we are so proud of you, your family xxxxx- suzanne poynton

Tommy wrote:Can’t see it in this thread, but did the RAFM not trade a Spitfire for this? The old Science Museum example?

As I recall, the RAF Museum entered an agreement with Kennet Aviation where Spitfire Mk.XXII PK664 (the one once displayed at the Science Museum) was traded in exchange for the recovery of Kittyhawk III ET574 from the Sahara. I'm not sure what has happened since then, but with Kennet having received PK664 before the Kittyhawk recovery was due to take place and the unstable political situation in Egypt at the time, it does appear that RAFM have given away a Spitfire. That being said, could it be on loan from RAFM to the museum at El Alamein?

So an aircraft that should have been excellently preserved by the RAFM "as found" has been thrown together by some Egyptian Airfix hobbyists and presumably Spitfire PK664 has also been lost? I recall the salvage was being carried out by Kennet Aviation, anyone near North Weald able to ask some questions of that side of the operation?

That's the picture I saw. It is nothing short of a monstrosity. Putting the utterly horrific markings to one side, just look at the state of the landing gear. The tailwheel looks straight off a family hatchback.

There've been some crimes against historic airframes in the past, (many of which the RAFM have been complicit in - the destruction of both their Beverley at Hendon and the last remaining Vulcan B.1 at Cosford to name a couple), but this defiling of a unique time-capsule airframe by ham-fisted amateurs perhaps tops the lot. And if indeed a Spitfire has gone missing as part of the grubby deal, then those responsible need bringing to account.

I agree with brevet. It's a bad restoration, but they've given it a prominent positions and it evidently has had a lot of work put into it at a time when I expect they don't have a whole lot of cash. But that there's no context given is a real shame